Israeli Tour Guide Falls to Death in Romania

While trying to help tourist on the Fagaras Mountains in Romania, Noam Avnon, 45, lost balance and fell to his death.

Orli Harari, 29/09/15 19:42

Romania

Yossi Zamir / Flash 90

Noam Avnon, a 45-year-old Israeli tour guide, was killed on Monday after he fell during a trip to the Fagaras Mountains in central Romania.

Avnon, a veteran tour guide, was apparently trying to help up one of the tourists in his group. At a certain point, Avnon lost his balance, and fell off a mountain from a height of 20 meters.

Nikolas Falsita, the head of the Romanian rescue delegation, said Avnon was one of four travelers from Israel.

"The incident took place last Monday," he noted. "There was extremely bad weather in the area known for its beauty, as well as difficulty gaining access to the site."

Shmuel and Ofra Avnon, Noam's parents, will fly to Romania to return his coffin to Israel.

Avnon's friends relayed that he had many times in the past helped rescue Israeli tourists in Romania, and that he was willing to provide assistance to anyone who needed his help.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed Avnon's death and said the Israeli embassy in Bucharest was in contact with with Romanian Police, who were tasked with extracting Avnon's body and transporting it to the Romanian capital.

Avnon's family will receive full assistance from the embassy and a final identification of the body will be completed soon.